Using the Workshop Approach in the High School English Classroom: H.S. focus Chapters 1, 3, & 4 from Urbanski (1998)
Scenario: Your principal has sent you to a professional development workshop on Urbanski’s Writing Workshop Approach because writing scores are low at your high school. As a result, she wants your English department faculty to implement this strategy with students to bring a greater focus to writing in the curriculum.
Your responsibility: Now your principal has charged you with the responsibility of presenting a brief overview/introduction to Urbanski’s Writing Workshop Approach to selected members of your high school English department faculty! “Hit the highlights and give them takeaways!” she says. Given this charge, please address the following questions below (prior to typing on the wiki, I encourage you to first create a Google Docwith your group members addressing these prompts so as to save a document prior to posting your group's ideas below. You will not want to overwrite the other group's responses). Please post in the appropriate sections for your group below:
1. Where does Urbanski suggest we start with regard to teaching writing to high school students?
HS Group A- Mei, Caroline, Yunfei, Ina
modeling behavior, specifically prewriting - show them the process of messily brainstorming, connecting ideas, and making mistakes the first go around
freewriting - no censors; no self-editing; helps discover connections the writer might not have made before
We should start with ourselves as teachers. As we write with the students, we understand the struggles they go through when they write and read.
Let our students watch us as we write. Show them that writing works even for us.
HS Group B - Deb, Shasha, Shuhui
begin with getting “them stirred up over something more than a grade”
the grade is not the goal
Urbanski emphasized modeling thinking, writing and reading. If teachers want students to become readers, writers and thinkers, teachers must do it right along with them and then coach them through rough spots, drawing from their own experience. Thus, Urbanski suggest we start with ourselves. For Urbanski, she modeled first by showing students what can be learned from other writers. Showing that the professional teacher also needs direction and guidance as the students do.
HS Group C - Margo, Lindsey, Yue-
The free write to help them organize their thoughts
Act as a choach
Formulaic boxes do not encourage writing growth
Teacher must share in the writing process
Reading and writing on a regular basis to reinforce modeling
2. For Urbanski, what is the writing process akin to and how does this play out in the secondary English classroom?
HS Group A- Mei, Caroline, Yunfei, Ina
Urbanski compares the writing process to running: it requires everyday practice, focus, and a coach who offers tips/allows mistakes/encourages.
like running, the skill disappears if you don’t practice it
the hardest part is putting one foot in front of the other and getting started.
running is painful but there will be a reward at the end- Finally, students will be able to write a good piece of writing.
it is always hard for a person to write/ run at the beginning, and there are always obstacles in front of real running/writing.
HS Group B - Deb, Shasha, Shuhui
our answers :
it’s like coaching athletes to train
it requires proper training from a coach who understand the sport well
so, a writing teacher must understand writing well by experience
For Urbanski, the writing process is akin to running process. She said that when she started coaching writing and reading the same way she coached running, her life became much simpler. To model, the author will simply write, read and think in front of the students. Like coaching running, coaches would expect to model the ways they wanted the runner to hold her head.
HS Group C - Margo, Lindsey, Yue
She compares it to running
Students see her working on improving her running time just as they see her trying to improve her writing
running coach encourages her athletes just as a writing teacher encourages the writing process
Provides opportunity for practice
Understands when it becomes difficult
Builds trust and community
Routine -practice each day at running and writing and improvement happens
3. Given her description of the writing process, what is her approach to using writing workshop in the high school English classroom?
HS Group A- Mei, Caroline, Yunfei, Ina
give students a chance to write in class!
Modeling behavior is most effective - students see that you don’t just *have* a perfect draft the first time you write, needs several revisions; saves time planning, don’t have to revisit something students didn’t learn because modeling behavior is most effective the first time around
Allows for mistakes
students should feel comfortable - modeling your own mistakes/habits in writing as a teacher builds trust
let the ideas to flow
the best way to show her modeling is to tell stories in her classroom.
writers need to cultivate a habit- they need to write each day.
writers have discipline
Allow them to help you re-write and use their feedback to improve the piece.
Let them break into groups to help each other.
HS Group B - Deb, Shasha, Shuhui
Our answers:
students need scaffolding to begin thinking
too often they are too worried about the grade and just completing a writing assignment
implement freewriting and daybooks: safe, free spaces where students can exercise their thoughts before they lose them, in order to organize them later
create a place where there is no pressure to have all the right ideas in one sitting
** “We cannot allow them to wait for inspiration or for some sainted muse. They need to write each day whether they feel like it or not, whether they have an idea or not, whether that writing is going well or not” (33).
HS Group C - Margo, Lindsey, Yue
Encourages use of writer's notebook
Free write (tames the chaos)
Practice (in class)
4. What are some of the key features of Urbanski’s approach to teaching writing and implementing writing workshop?
HS Group A- Mei, Caroline, Yunfei, Ina
modeling behavior: practice writing/revising together on a teacher's’ piece of writing. this way students can see the process in action and your train of thought as you revise; it also brings you as a teacher “down to their level” - once they see you have to go through the same revision process as they do, they feel more comfortable/less pressure to write perfectly the first time
pre-writing/free-writing - writing for an extended period of time nonstop for brainstorming/getting ideas out
being patient
“daybook” - journal/diary is boring
watch teacher to come up with topics- then students are able to come up with their owns and discuss in small groups
write zero draft in front of students
modeling is the only way to truly teach revision.
A safe climate is important for the students to grow their inspiration in writing.
We should learn to write and learning by doing, and writing built upon real experience instead of “ made-up” stories is considered as an effective way by the author.
Freewriting is not a waste of time.
She sets a timer and writes the same amount of time that they do - no breaks!
HS Group B - Deb, Shasha, Shuhui
Our answers :
the writing teacher must model the writing workshop in front of his/her students
show them what it looks like to toil for the write words
freewrite with them
share what your daybook looks like
ask for their comments and show how their comments added to revision (no editing yet)
HS Group C - Margo, Lindsey, Yue
Modeling (coaching and teaching by doing)
Feedback(review notes to track student progress)
Free-writing is time the writer should feel free. The teachers goal should be to access the emotion students will feel once they write naturally
The meaning of writing comes after the invention process
5. What other important information do you think your faculty needs to know as an introduction to Urbanski’s approach to writing workshop?
HS Group A- Mei, Caroline, Yunfei, Ina
Can also be used to model reading and understand the takeaways from a literature perspective - use modeling during reading with “read-aloud” method
same process as writing workshop: teach students HOW to think (process-wise), not WHAT to think. don’t just give them the answers
modeling builds confidence/agency/independence
She made extensive use of modeling, besides the teacher’s modeling in front of the students. She also stresses the students can model other famous writers in terms of their writing techniques and writing style, words choices and then incorporate them into their own writing.
HS Group B - Deb, Shasha, Shuhui
Our answers
the metaphor/parallel of a coach to a writing teacher is so helpful
coaches are out there with the student athletes helping them with the warm up, and that’s what the tools of the writing workshop are.
“These tools help writers warm up, but they are not the entire practice, and they certainly are not the race” (68).
Using the Workshop Approach in the High School English Classroom: H.S. focus
Chapters 1, 3, & 4 from Urbanski (1998)
Scenario: Your principal has sent you to a professional development workshop on Urbanski’s Writing Workshop Approach because writing scores are low at your high school. As a result, she wants your English department faculty to implement this strategy with students to bring a greater focus to writing in the curriculum.
Your responsibility: Now your principal has charged you with the responsibility of presenting a brief overview/introduction to Urbanski’s Writing Workshop Approach to selected members of your high school English department faculty! “Hit the highlights and give them takeaways!” she says. Given this charge, please address the following questions below (prior to typing on the wiki, I encourage you to first create a Google Doc with your group members addressing these prompts so as to save a document prior to posting your group's ideas below. You will not want to overwrite the other group's responses). Please post in the appropriate sections for your group below:
1. Where does Urbanski suggest we start with regard to teaching writing to high school students?
2. For Urbanski, what is the writing process akin to and how does this play out in the secondary English classroom?
our answers :
3. Given her description of the writing process, what is her approach to using writing workshop in the high school English classroom?
4. What are some of the key features of Urbanski’s approach to teaching writing and implementing writing workshop?
5. What other important information do you think your faculty needs to know as an introduction to Urbanski’s approach to writing workshop?